CVE-2026-23396wifi: mac80211: fix NULL deref in mesh_matches_local()
- 5.5MediumCVSS base score
- 0.12%Exploitation in 30 daysEPSS · top 98% of all CVEs
- NoKnown exploitednot in CISA's KEV catalog
- NonePublic exploitsnone known yet
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: mac80211: fix NULL deref in mesh_matches_local() mesh_matches_local() unconditionally dereferences ie->mesh_config to compare mesh configuration parameters. When called from mesh_rx_csa_frame(), the parsed action-frame elements may not contain a Mesh Configuration IE, leaving ie->mesh_config NULL and triggering a kernel NULL pointer dereference. The other two callers are already safe: - ieee80211_mesh_rx_bcn_presp() checks !elems->mesh_config before calling mesh_matches_local() - mesh_plink_get_event() is only reached through mesh_process_plink_frame(), which checks !elems->mesh_config, too mesh_rx_csa_frame() is the only caller that passes raw parsed elements to mesh_matches_local() without guarding mesh_config. An adjacent attacker can exploit this by sending a crafted CSA action frame that includes a valid Mesh ID IE but omits the Mesh Configuration IE, crashing the kernel. The captured crash log: Oops: general protection fault, probably for non-canonical address ... KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000000-0x0000000000000007] Workqueue: events_unbound cfg80211_wiphy_work [...] Call Trace: <TASK> ? __pfx_mesh_matches_local (net/mac80211/mesh.c:65) ieee80211_mesh_rx_queued_mgmt (net/mac80211/mesh.c:1686) [...] ieee80211_iface_work (net/mac80211/iface.c:1754 net/mac80211/iface.c:1802) [...] cfg80211_wiphy_work (net/wireless/core.c:426) process_one_work (net/kernel/workqueue.c:3280) ? assign_work (net/kernel/workqueue.c:1219) worker_thread (net/kernel/workqueue.c:3352) ? __pfx_worker_thread (net/kernel/workqueue.c:3385) kthread (net/kernel/kthread.c:436) [...] ret_from_fork_asm (net/arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:255) </TASK> This patch adds a NULL check for ie->mesh_config at the top of mesh_matches_local() to return false early when the Mesh Configuration IE is absent.
Timeline
ID reserved
By Linux
- 2 months later
· 2 months later
Published
- 7 months later
· 7 months later
Record updated
Changes after publication (a new score, a public exploit, EPSS crossing 1, 10 or 50 %, leaving KEV) are kept since November 2026; earlier ones are not known.
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVDNVD · Modified | 3.1 | Medium5.5 | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 0.12% · top 98% of all CVEs (14 Nov 2026)
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: Medium 5.5.
Affected products
- affected 2e3c8736820bf72a8ad10721c7e31d36d4fa7790 – < 14a4fd13657a3f2489db6566f081adfb27a49c64
- affected 2e3c8736820bf72a8ad10721c7e31d36d4fa7790 – < 74de6fa472b03bc8cde0a081484e9960bcbda568
- affected 2e3c8736820bf72a8ad10721c7e31d36d4fa7790 – < c1e3f2416fb27c816ce96d747d3e784e31f4d95c
- affected 2e3c8736820bf72a8ad10721c7e31d36d4fa7790 – < 0a4da176ae4b4e075a19c00d3e269cfd5e05a813
- affected 2e3c8736820bf72a8ad10721c7e31d36d4fa7790 – < a90279e7f7ea0b7e923a1c5ebee9a6b78b6d1004
- affected 2e3c8736820bf72a8ad10721c7e31d36d4fa7790 – < 44699c6cdfce80a0f296b54ae9314461e3e41b3d
- affected 2e3c8736820bf72a8ad10721c7e31d36d4fa7790 – < 7c55a3deaf7eaaafa2546f8de7fed19382a0a116
- affected 2e3c8736820bf72a8ad10721c7e31d36d4fa7790 – < c73bb9a2d33bf81f6eecaa0f474b6c6dbe9855bd
- affected 2.6.26
- unaffected < 2.6.26
- unaffected 5.10.253 – ≤ 5.10.*
- unaffected 5.15.203 – ≤ 5.15.*
- unaffected 6.1.167 – ≤ 6.1.*
- unaffected 6.6.130 – ≤ 6.6.*
- unaffected 6.12.78 – ≤ 6.12.*
- unaffected 6.18.20 – ≤ 6.18.*
- unaffected 6.19.10 – ≤ 6.19.*
- unaffected 7.0 – ≤ *
References
References9
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/14a4fd13657a3f2489db6566f081adfb27a49c64 (opens in a new tab)
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/74de6fa472b03bc8cde0a081484e9960bcbda568 (opens in a new tab)
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c1e3f2416fb27c816ce96d747d3e784e31f4d95c (opens in a new tab)
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0a4da176ae4b4e075a19c00d3e269cfd5e05a813 (opens in a new tab)
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a90279e7f7ea0b7e923a1c5ebee9a6b78b6d1004 (opens in a new tab)
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/44699c6cdfce80a0f296b54ae9314461e3e41b3d (opens in a new tab)
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7c55a3deaf7eaaafa2546f8de7fed19382a0a116 (opens in a new tab)
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c73bb9a2d33bf81f6eecaa0f474b6c6dbe9855bd (opens in a new tab)
- https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-784472.html (opens in a new tab)
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- EUVD EUVD-2026-16154 (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Badge for a README or a ticket
[](https://cveledger.app/cve/CVE-2026-23396)Record last updated .